Beefsteak Plant Perilla frutescens
- Phonetic Spelling
- per-IL-lah froo-TESS-enz
- Description
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Beefsteak plant is an annual edible in the Lamiaceae (mint) family native to the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. It has showy flowers and fragrant purple-red leaves that can resemble raw meat, hence the common name. The genus name Perilla comes from the Latin word pera meaning bag in reference to the shape of the fruiting calyx. While the specific epithet frutescens means shrubby or bushy.
This plant grows quickly and aggressively up to 3 feet tall and 1 1/2 feet wide. Pinching off the flowers before they go to seed will help slow the spread of their wind-dispersed seeds. When left to its own, it will self-seed prolifically. It is found growing along roadsides and disturbed areas growing into natural spaces outcompeting endemic plants. It grows best in full sun to partial shade in rich, moist to dry soil. This plant is very resistant to heat and drought.
Quick ID:
- Opposite, ovate leaves with serrate margin and musky mint fragrance when crushed.
- Small bell-shaped flowers appear in spikes in leaf axils.
- Square stems with short hairs.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. It is listed as invasive in VA WV, TN and KY. This species is classified as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council.
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Cabarrus County Poolside Garden Four-Season Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Purple Shiso'
Purple leaves - var. crispa
Shiso; more deeply toothed leaves and different flavor
- 'Purple Shiso'
- 'Purple Shiso', var. crispa
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Purple Shiso'
Purple leaves - var. crispa
Shiso; more deeply toothed leaves and different flavor
- 'Purple Shiso'
- 'Purple Shiso', var. crispa
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Perilla
- Species:
- frutescens
- Family:
- Lamiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Himalayas to Southeast Asia
- Edibility:
- Leaves as a salad herb, flavoring
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 3 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Edible
- Herb
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Weed
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- Less than 12 inches
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- .06 inch reticulate nutlet gray-brown
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Spike
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Bell
- Lipped
- Flower Petals:
- 2-3 rays/petals
- fused petals
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Small, two-lipped bell-shaped white in spike-like inflorescences that emerge from leaf axils up to 4" tall Blooms appear in the late summer through mid-fall and resemble nettles.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Fragrant
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Wrinkled ovate opposite leaves up to 4" long. Purple or red leaves resemble the color of uncooked beef. Edible and aromatic.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- Yes
- Stem Cross Section:
- Square
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Square with purple or green four grooves covered in short hairs, fragrant
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Landscape:
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Diseases
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Heat
- Humidity
- Insect Pests
- Poor Soil
- Problems:
- Weedy
